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BYU tight ends walk onto the field before football practice at the outdoor practice facility in Provo on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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BYU head coach Kalani Sitake talks to his players after BYU football practice at the indoor practice facility in Provo on Monday, March 4, 2024.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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Helmets sit in a line before BYU football practice at the indoor practice facility in Provo on Monday, March 4, 2024.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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BYU long snapper Dalton Riggs tosses a ball in the air before BYU football practice at the indoor practice facility in Provo on Monday, March 4, 2024.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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A BYU running back runs the ball up the field during football practice in Provo on Thursday, March 14, 2024.

Aaron Cornia, BYU Photo

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August sure feels like a long time away, doesn’t it?

A lot will happen in Utah Valley the next four months including the end of school year, graduations, and summer activities and holidays.

But for BYU football players, this is a critical time of preparation for the 2024 season. The Cougar players know that what they do from April through July can be a differentiator on the gridiron, particularly during the time when no workouts are scheduled.

“This work is arguably more important because everyone does summer workouts, spring camp and fall camp,” BYU senior offensive lineman Connor Pay said on the last day of spring camp. “So what are we doing to separate ourselves? That’s where these next few months come in. We have to do more, be more disciplined and more dedicated than everyone else in the conference. If you want to go win a conference championship, that’s what it takes.”

Pay said that he set up a quick meeting with his unit after finishing camp to make sure everyone was on the same page.

“I told them that we are going to have a plan for these next six weeks before we come back in th middle of May to start our summer workouts as a team,” Pay said. “We can’t come back and be out of shape and have to get back into shape. We have to maintain, improve and hit the ground running.”

He doesn’t want to see any drop off from where the offensive line was at the end of March, either physically or mentally.

“There are a lot of calls and communications you need that help us pick up everything,” Pay said. “If we don’t do anything with it for four or five weeks, we’re going to come back and not remember any of this stuff. We’re putting together a plan to keep on it and make sure everyone stays sharp, in shape and getting stronger during this time, while also taking some time off to let their bodies recover from spring ball.”

Dedication and getting stronger were themes that multiple players and coaches mentioned, including BYU senior defensive back Jakob Robinson.

“Everyone’s going to be working all throughout the whole nation, so we’ve just got to work hard and work when no one else is working,” Robinson said. “We’ve got to gain that weight and get stronger this offseason, especially me. It’s going to be a big focus for me.”

Cougar junior wide receiver Chase Roberts said he feels like the athletes have the tools to be successful but they need to follow through to get the job done.

“I think we need to buy in and keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Roberts said. “I think the strength staff has done such a great job from the beginning of winter workouts until now. They have these packets that they’ve given us that we need to focus on and get done. I think if we do that and all buy in to what we’ve started, we will see that come summer workouts when we get back together that nobody’s taking a step back. I think everyone’s really going to buy in, just the feel I get of the team right now.”

BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill also emphasized the importance of getting bigger and stronger to be ready for the physicality of Big 12 play, but said there are other important things to accomplish before fall camp as well.

“We’ve got to continue to get better ownership of the defense because right now we’re not there yet,” Hill said. “We did take steps forward, but we’re not where I want us to be. I don’t know that we’re ever going to be exactly where I want to be but we’re heading in the right direction. But for us to compete for the Big 12 title, we’ve got to continue to take big steps forward.”

The bottom line, as expressed by Cougar offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick, is that BYU can’t waste any opportunity to improve.

“We’ve got to continue to have a great summer now that spring is over,” Roderick said. “Development is going to be key. We need a lot of our young players and a few of our new guys to just keep developing their skill sets and also develop in their knowledge of what we’re doing.”

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